Brainwashed I had totally forgotten this song was on ARTHUR and I didn't have much of a memory of what it sounded like. Those two facts tell me this is one of the lesser songs on the album. Listening to it, I can see it as kind of a mix of the Kinks early garage band type sound with their latter use of horns. It is better than I remember, but still I would put it as no better than average for this era of the Kinks. (which still means pretty good!)
The break and Dave's power chords (incredible tone!) followed by the "bureaucrats and dirty rats" section is raw and exciting, the heart of the song, and they never come back to it! So I'm always excited when Brainwashed starts, because I get to hear that part again. If it was repeated several times it probably wouldn't be as special. Thank you to everyone for making the context of the lyrics clear - I never paid close attention to them before, and my first reaction upon reading them here were that they sounded shallow and dashed off - but I now understand that this is precisely what Ray intended. I should know by now, the man knows what he is doing!
Definitely... it isn't about the chords. It's about the sound of a really well recorded dirty amp, with a warm thick as syrup crunch.
Brainwashed As soon as those horns go to town right after the first verse, I am HOOKED! How fabulous are they?!! Since I've been listening to Arthur a lot lately, this song will pop up in my head at random times as it's so damned catchy. I want to get up and dance (and sometimes I do) when this song is on. Would have been an awesome song to hear live. And the guitar bit right after the big horn bit is fun as well. Love the sound. A lot of songs I like have that sort of rawness/grittiness. I made the husband listen to the song and his contribution to this discussion is that he hears "Steppin' Stone" by the Monkees during this part. I know what he means. The lyrics...so it does sound like this was written 'in character', but Ray has a ton of songs(and at least an album - Schoolboys) about being an individual and about the "man" stomping on your individuality, so I really don't think this song is THAT far from his beliefs. Like most of us, he's a complex human being. I don't think you can take any of Ray's lyrics and make an absolute decision about how he stands. He's very wily. You cannot penetrate Ray.
"You cannot penetrate Ray" "No one can penetrate me. They only see what's in their own fancy." Wondergirl, did your husband listen to WAAF or leave his boots untied?
LOL. No he did not. He was a WFNX fan and we met at Axis on Lansdowne St. during X Night (if you remember that).
I don't remember X Night, but I did see the Kinks at Axis in 1993. That's the closest they came to playing Fenway Park.
It was the Avalon Ballroom on May 4, 1993. Wasn't that Axis in a prior life? I do remember being near Fenway Park & Ray saying something about the Red Sox during the show. It was my next to last time I saw the Kinks.
Avalon and Axis were next door to each other I believe. That area was always changing names, so I can't keep up. Around 1993 I was caught up in my then-boyfriend's (now husband) ska band that was playing all around Boston. The Kinks weren't on my radar (sorry boys!!xo)
WAAF?!.... my favorite blast from my Masshole past! Used to listen to Liz Wilde when driving to night class at BC '92 - '94. Good times for sure.
Axis! Another great memory. Saw Dream Theater there in late '92. They wouldn't let anyone in early, so we stood in line outside foe 2 hrs. All the young dudes in their black t shirts and ripped jeans, an there's my wife and standing in the middle of them in our Eddie Bauer and LL Bean.... boy did we stick out! Still, everyone was cool and it was a fantastic evening.
You're right. I just looked at an article on the Web about the Boston rock clubs of yore. I went to school in Boston from 1980-87 & used to roam around it for record/book store crawls until 2001 or so. Until I went to MA Eye & Ear a couple of weeks ago, I haven't been to Boston in about 8 yrs. I was shocked driving through Chelsea & seeing all the new buildings around. It was seeing a brand new place. Your hubby's band wasn't The Mighty Mighty Bosstones ?
Avid Fischman, you were once a citizen of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts? How long have you been in New Mexico? When did you escape?
HAHA! Nooooo, definitely not. I can't stand Dicky's voice. I wouldn't have lasted. My husband's band was a few tiers below. Like they would open for Bim Skala Bim if you know of them. You live in Salem and hadn't been to Boston in 8 years? impressive.
You want to hear something more impressive. How about getting a ticket in the mail several years ago for going through to the Tobin Bridge despite the fact that 1. I haven't been in Boston in 8 yrs. & 2. I have never driven to Boston & my car has never been there either. I couldn't find the objection button on the Massport website so I just paid the ticket, which was only $2.50, thank goodness.
Been a long time. Lived in Lowell ( yes, I was a lowell-life!) '89 - '92 and Bedford from '92 - '94. Only been in The Land of Enchantment for a year. In between, had stops in Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, Ohio, Colorado, Montana again, DC/Northern Virginia, and Colorado again.
She was the DJ with the late afternoon/early evening slot on WAAF at the time. She did all sorts of outrageous stuff in addition to playing great music. In fact, she would sometimes disappear for a week or two after a particularly outrageous skit between songs. I'm sure she was receiving reprimands/suspensions. Then she was gone for good. I always think of her when I listen to the Kinks' "Around the Dial." Where did you go Mr. DJ, Why did they taken you off the air?
To digress, or to return to a digression--- Innnteresting and also not surprising that there are so many Massachusetts Kinks fans in this thread. Boston (and perhaps other parts of New England) had a special love for the Kinks in the early 80's that went beyond their following in other US markets -- or that's the way I remember it. Boston's radio, especially WBCN, resisted national homogenization much longer than many other markets. So we had our local heroes and local hits, long after this stopped being a thing in many major cities. The J Geils Band might as well have been the Rolling Stones on Boston radio throughout the 70's (this was long before "Centerfold"); and there were hits by the Stompers, The New Models, etc etc. I guess we'll get to this in a few months, but I am under the impression that Boston radio played far more cuts from "Give the People What They Want" than was happening nationwide.
The first time I saw the Kinks was in October 1981 at the old Boston Garden & the place was packed. You're right, WBCN did play Give the People What They Want a lot, especially "Destroyer" & "Better Things".
Also "A Little Bit Of Abuse"-- that was the initial cut they were playing when the album was released. and "Around the Dial"....a lot! orrr maybe that was what they played on untied-shoe WAAF.
Big love for The Kinks in Rhode Island, too, back in the day. In fact, the One for the Road video was done at the Providence Civic Center!
